Marinescu Report on the EU’s External Aviation Policy adopted by the European Parliament

Today, the European Parliament in Strasbourg adopted the own-initiative Report by Marian-Jean Marinescu MEP by 650 votes in favour, 54 against and 5 abstentions on the EU’s external aviation policy. Rapporteur Marinescu calls on the European Commission to define a minimum set of standards concerning bilateral agreements to defend the EU’s interests, values and best practices.

Marian-Jean Marinescu said: “Today’s vote sends a clear message to the Commission: efforts made over the past years are significant, but not sufficient. For Europe to be more competitive in this sector, we need a coordinated external policy approach. Such an approach, built on reciprocity, transparency and fair competition, would increase Europe’s chances of entering new markets.”

European data shows that aviation supports 5.1 million jobs and contributes €365m per year to the European budget, the equivalent of 2.4% of the EU’s GDP. Roughly one third of all passengers worldwide use European airports every year and almost one quarter of the EU’s external trade activities (imports and exports) take place by air.

Marinescu continued: “Aviation makes a fundamental contribution to economic growth, employment and tourism, as well as to the regional and social cohesion of the European Union. Connectivity is the key to competitiveness. Given the increased reliance of Europe on external trade and the role that airports play in connecting the European Union with the rest of the world, we have to be fully supportive of a very ambitious agenda in the area of aviation.”

The Report calls, among others, for:

• the inclusion of regulatory conditions for safety, security, passenger rights, staff training and certification in external agreements;
• the completion of ongoing negotiations with neighbourhood countries such as Ukraine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Azerbaijan and Algeria, and granting mandates for negotiation with Turkey, Armenia and Libya;
• the completion, as soon as possible, of air agreements with key partners such as Australia and Brazil, as well as with growing economies such as China, India and ASEAN and Gulf countries;
• the need to fully achieve the objectives set out in air transport agreements with key partners, in particular the US and Canada, including the removal of restrictions on foreign ownership and control of airlines;
• the inclusion of standard fair competition clauses in bilateral air services agreements.

Marian-Jean Marinescu stressed the importance of investments in infrastructure to foster the EU’s competitiveness: “We need to solve the problem of congestion in Europe’s hubs. The European Union needs to increase its infrastructure capacity and make more efficient use of its existing airport infrastructure.”